Discussion

Some Momofuku Q's

Planning to treat my daughter to a Momofuku resto on my next NYC visit (end of May). Ko is out, because I'm a cheapskate, and the Bakery appears to be for noshing, so it's between the Noodle Bar and Ssam Bar.

1) Anybody know the current L/D Prix Fixe prices for each?

2) Comments on the relative merits of Noodle Bar versus Ssam Bar?

3) As neither appear to take reservations, any strategy for snagging a table on a Friday, Saturday of Sunday? (Lunch or Dinner)

Only been to Noodle Bar and love it. If you don't mind a long wait you can go for dinner. If you hate to wait go at off hours like 2pm-5:30pm. Great buzz about the place and worth the wait. The "Mamofuku Ramen Noddle" dish is spectacular.

I'd go for Ssam bar and then duck around the corner to Milk bar for dessert. At Ssam, for lunch you'll have no problems getting a table and dinner is hit or miss, its all about timing. I've gone on Friday nights around 8 or 9ish and have gotten seated (for 2) within 10 minutes and at other times, after an hour. The good thing is you can go to Milk Bar and wait there and they have a waitress that will bring you drinks.

i haven't been to Noodle Bar in a while, so i'm not sure what the waits are like these days.

Looks like others have already taken care of the prix fixe issue. And as others have pointed out, there isn't much strategizing you can do to get a table (or rather, a part of a table).

But relative merits is a pretty straightforward and answerable question: go to Ssam Bar. Noodle Bar is good, but its ramen is far from the best ramen in NYC (even if the broths are superb), the menu is relatively short, and it's not as interesting. Ssam Bar is more inventive and much farther ranging - and better at just about everything unless it's mid-winter and you need a good soup or stew to warm you up. Add the benefits that Ssam Bar now gets from being down the hall from Milk Bar and its new cocktail list, and I don't think it's an even fight.